“It’s not the undocumented students fault their parents brought them to the United States as babies,” said Melissa Chavez, advertising major and founding member of Latinos Unidos. “They were just looking for a better life.”

Last year, the Indiana legislature passed a bill stating undocumented immigrants are required to pay out-of-state tuition for state-funded universities – even if they’ve lived in Indiana their whole lives. But the law may be reversed for some students.

Chavez said she has experience with undocumented immigrants who went to school because of her involvement with Latinos Unidos.

“Most couldn’t return back to school because the cost was so ridiculous,” she said.

Senate Bill 207, a bill that passed in the House last week, would offer in-state tuition to all undocumented students who were enrolled in a public state institution before July 1, 2011, which could reverse the law passed last year for students enrolled before the date.

However, any student enrolled after the date will still be required to pay out-of-state tuition.

“The bill doesn’t take into consideration K-12 students,” Republican Sen. Jean Leising of Indiana District 42 said. “The superintendent isn’t allowed to ask legal status, and students meet the same roadblock after high school.”

The roadblock is when undocumented students realize they have to pay out-of-state tuition or not pursue their education at all.

“Our federal government needs to be kicked in the tail for throwing this issue at the state,” Leising said. “They’ve done an abominable job.”

She said some students have lived here since they were very young, and no one would never think they were not US citizens.

Before this bill, undocumented immigrants were allowed resident tuition as long as no financial aid was accessed. Undocumented immigrants are not allowed government funds like financial aid, grants and any other type of aid because of legal status.

Because of the law passed last year, undocumented immigrants are required to pay out-of-state tuition, which most students cannot afford.

“That means a lot of the people that would be able to go are no longer able to go,” Dean of Students Angela Batista said.

She said although many people have the misconception that undocumented families do not work, pay taxes and are not productive members of society, in reality, most undocumented families do the exact opposite.

“Many immigrants come with legal status that changes over time, which is why we use the term undocumented,” Batista said. “We have some undocumented students, probably more than we know.”

Tax-paying undocumented families do not see the benefits of the taxes paid because they have no legal status in the United States, Batista said.

She said the undocumented immigrants have the potential to be more productive members by obtaining higher education.

“It’s a missed opportunity for them and for the state,” Batista said.

Like some students graduating high school, they are excited about going to college and pursuing a career. For undocumented students, the view of the future is dim because lack of funds.

Daniela Vidal, director of the center for applied research and economic development, is founder of an organization to help local Latino families.

Hospitality and Outreach for Latin Americans (HOLA), a non-for-profit organization, helps Latinos in the community improve education, health, safety, economic strength and leadership.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Vidal said. “It’s the least we could do to give back.”

Director of Admission Eric Otto said the bill is confusing because of how it affects students who were enrolled before July 1, 2011.

“The confusion (is) as to whether we refund those students, or (if) it picks up from this point forward,” he said.

For years Indiana allowed each university to decide how to deal with undocumented problems, he said

“Our hands are tied on this issue, we’ve gotta follow the law,” he said.